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Sikh policeman to receive £70,000 compensation

The London Metropolitan police has been ordered to pay Â£70,000 compensation to Gurpal Virdi...

The Metropolitan police has been ordered to pay £70,000 compensation to a Sikh policeman after turning him down for promotion in 2005. After a police disciplinary tribunal Mr Virdi was dismissed from the force, but appealed against the decision and was reinstated. An employment tribunal found he had been discriminated against and awarded compensation of £150,000. Mr Virdi was also subsequently awarded £200,000 in compensation from Scotland Yard. An employment tribunal ruled last year that Detective Sergeant Gurpal Virdi was victimised when he was overlooked for the job change. It declared that his application had been treated "less favourably" due to the fact that he had taken legal action against the police force in the past. As a result the tribunal ruled that Mr Virdi should receive £8,700 for 'injury to feelings' and £61,620 for loss of earnings and pension. In 2000, Mr Virdi received £240,000 compensation after a separate tribunal declared the Met had racially discriminated against him.

He was sacked after being wrongly accused of sending racist hate mail to Asian and black police officers at Hanwell police station. The case comes after Mr Virdi was wrongfully dismissed from his position in March 2000 after serving with the force for 16 years. His sacking came following an inquiry into 15 non-white policeman receiving post promoting racism, which appeared to have been delivered via the station's internal mail system.